Thursday, June 02, 2005

Reuters - The death toll for American troops in Iraq rose in May to the highest level since January, with the U.S. military saying that daily attacks have doubled since April.

At least 77 U.S. troops were killed in May, according to a count of deaths announced by the military. That is the highest toll since 107 Americans were killed in January. It marked the second straight monthly increase since 36 U.S. troops died in March, among the lowest tolls of the war. A U.S. military spokesman said insurgents are now staging about 70 attacks nationwide per day. May was a record month for car bombs used by insurgents in suicide attacks and with remote-controlled detonations.

'The reality is we have discovered, despite all our propaganda, that we are facing a very tough, resilient and smart adversary,' defense analyst Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute said.

'This is the hardest type of fight to be in,' says Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. 'If we get too impatient and decide to throw in the towel too soon, then we give up everything we've gained up to this point.'

Wagnews - "Everything we have gained up to this point" ?? Which is what exactly?